Tag: Government Surveillance

ToTok Removed From Apple and Google Stores Amid Claims It’s a Government Spying App

ToTok was released only months ago and has climbed the charts to become one of the most popular messaging apps in Britain, India, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, as well as becoming one of the most downloaded social media apps in the U.S. last week.

According to a report by the New York Times, however, the app is actually a spying tool for the United Arab Emirates government, giving it the ability to “track every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound and image of those who install it on their phones.” The allegation is based on American officials who were aware of classified intelligence, as well as the NYT’s own investigation.

The app is distributed by a company called Breej Holding. However, investigation indicates the firm is likely a front company associated with DarkMatter, a cyberintelligence and hacking firm located in Abu Dhabi. DarkMatter is staffed with individuals who previously worked for the NSA, Israeli intelligence and Emirate intelligence, and is under FBI investigation for possible cyber crimes.

In the wake of these revelations, both Apple and Google have removed the app from their respective stores. ToTok released a post to their user community to address the allegations, but stopped short of denying them outright. In fact, their privacy policy expressly says they may share data with “group companies,” as well as “to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.” Either of those clauses come into play if the allegations are correct and the app is actually backed by the government.

As the NYT comments, this is a significant “escalation in a digital arms race among wealthy authoritarian governments.” Whereas many governments have banned apps like WhatsApp and Signal, since they employ end-to-end encryption, the UAE took it a step further by lulling their citizens into a false sense of security with an app deliberately designed to spy on them and anyone else using it.

December 23, 2019
People Aren’t That Concerned About Government Surveillance, Even Post Snowden

Pew has just published a new report on Americans and how they protect their privacy in the post-Edward Snowden era. Long story short – most don’t do much of anything to even attempt to keep out the prying government eyes.

Most people have heard at least something about Edward Snowden’s leaks, and the massive government surveillance programs he exposed to the public – 87 percent, in fact. Basically, you really have to be living under as rock to have missed this (it’s been about two years since Snowden first came forward).

Despite having at least some level of familiarity with the government’s data collection initiatives, many Americans haven’t really taken any steps (however pointless they might be) to protect their data.

From Pew:

34% of those who are aware of the surveillance programs (30% of all adults) have taken at least one step to hide or shield their information from the government. For instance, 17% changed their privacy settings on social media; 15% use social media less often; 15% have avoided certain apps and 13% have uninstalled apps; 14% say they speak more in person instead of communicating online or on the phone; and 13% have avoided using certain terms in online communications.

…

25% of those who are aware of the surveillance programs (22% of all adults) say they have changed the patterns of their own use of various technological platforms “a great deal” or “somewhat” since the Snowden revelations. For instance, 18% say they have changed the way they use email “a great deal” or “somewhat”; 17% have changed the way they use search engines; 15% say they have changed the way they use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook; and 15% have changed the way they use their cell phones.

That leaves a whole lot of Americans who heard what Mr. Snowden had to say, and from then on felt no desire to modify their online behavior in the slightest.

According to Pew, half of all surveyed have not even considered using a footprint-free search engine, using email encryption, or installing DoNotTrack plugins.

Why? If not ignorance, is it laziness?

Sort of. In reality, a large portion of the American public simply doesn’t care. They aren’t concerned about government surveillance and data collection in email, search, cellphones, or social media.

However, Pew found that 57% of people think it’s “unacceptable” for the government to monitor US citizens’ private communications.

Image via Pew

March 16, 2015
Video Surveillance Market Continues to Expand

With the numerous disclosures from former NSA employee Edward Snowden that were released in 2013, a new light has been shined on a shadowy world of information gathering and government surveillance. While world governments scramble to appease their citizens and other government leaders, it seems that the security industry will simply keep running business as usual.

Market research firm IHS today released a report showing that the video surveillance market is expected to increase by at least 12% in the coming year. The firm expects sales of video surveillance equipment to hit $15.9 billion, mostly on sales to national and local governments.

“During the past decade the video surveillance equipment market has grown quickly, expanding at a double-digit rate in most years,” said Niall Jenkins, research manager for video surveillance and security services at IHS. “This year will be no exception, with growth led by strong demand for fixed-dome and 180/360-degree network camera products. As for vertical markets, the city surveillance and utility/energy sectors will drive the biggest increases in sales.”

Other predictions for the video surveillance market found in the IHS report read like a list of the things government-overreach activists have been warning about for years. Police are expected to increasingly use crowd-sourced video surveillance data and companies are expected to collaborate more with police on the sharing of their own live video surveillance. IHS also believes that thermal imaging will catch on during 2014, with consumer thermal imaging products beginning to appear.

January 20, 2014
FBI Is Hoping To Wiretap Internet Services – Should It Be Allowed?
As technologies have advanced, they have dramatically changed the way that we live and interact. We, as consumers, have become accustomed to the convenience, capabilities, and even the entertainment that they provide. But, should these same advantages be applied to other areas such as law enforcement?

This topic has recently come up for debate after the FBI indicated that it is contemplating legislation that would require Internet firms to build backdoors into their services for government surveillance. The bureau is hoping to amend the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) in order to require companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook to comply with federal wiretapping orders if the need arises.

CALEA, in its current form, applies to telecommunications companies. It was amended in 2004 to also include broadband networks, but if the FBI’s effort works, it could also force Web companies to alter their code to ensure surveillance capabilities.

“Basically, the FBI wants to amend CALEA to keep up with the changes in technology that have taken place over the last 18 years since CALEA became law,” Michael Donahue, partner at Marashlian & Donahue, LLC, tells WebProNews.

In the past, the FBI has worked to develop independent solutions for these types of companies, explained Donahue. However, due to budget cuts, the funding for them no longer exists.

These recent developments are part of the bureau’s mission to resolve, what it calls, its “Going Dark” problem. According to information released by the FBI, “Going Dark” refers to “law enforcement’s limited capability to comprehensively and lawfully collect data and information, conduct electronic surveillance and analyze the raw data due to the rapid evolution of telecommunications and data collection technology and services.”

Research shows that the “Going Dark” problem dates back several years. Under this initiative, Donahue told us that the FBI is trying to achieve the following actions:
1. To commit the FCC to regulate technical standards for solutions
2. To require the FCC to approve a standard in order for it to be considered a safe harbor
3. To eliminate or modify the current exemption in CALEA for private networks (i.e., Universities, Colleges, etc.)
4. To eliminate or modify the current exemption for information services
5. To provide stronger enforcement of existing requirements that providers that enable encryption are also able to decrypt the information for law enforcement
6. To require providers to certify their CALEA compliance annually
“While this was a small problem a number of years ago,” pointed out Donahue, “it’s becoming an increasingly larger problem as more services are moving to different technologies and more innovative technologies that are not currently covered by CALEA, or they fall into a gray area where CALEA may or may not apply.”

The FBI has said that, with this move, it has no intention of gaining more authority. It believes the amendment would be a natural evolution of its current tools and that it would help their agents do their jobs more effectively.

“What it’s [FBI] seeking is the ability to go to a provider and obtain the kind of information that it’s authorized to get under the law in a cooperative manner,” said Donahue.

He went on to say that law enforcement currently runs into the problem of, after obtaining the court order, finding the company doesn’t have a solution in place for letting it get the information it needs. Another issue that law enforcement is facing is dealing with a company that has a solution but finding that it hasn’t been maintained, thus making it unusable.

Since these problems have persisted for several years without a solution, the FBI has reported the non-compliant parties to the FCC. Based on current processes, the commission, in turn, investigates the companies to see if they are in compliance with CALEA and its own rules. The FCC then has the authority to fine or require the companies to comply. Although the commission has not issued any notices of liability yet, Donahue told us that he wouldn’t be surprised if it does in the near future.

The current form of CALEA is careful to include protections for the privacy and security of users, but there are concerns being raised over these areas in light of a potential amendment the FBI is pushing. The FBI has yet to release an official proposal, but tech companies, privacy advocates, and consumer groups are not likely going to be supportive of such a measure.

The monitoring of users’ online activities has become increasingly controversial in recent years, and it has sparked the introduction of numerous bills in Congress. However, given the reactions to SOPA and CISPA, it is not likely that the FBI’s amendment proposal will pass without a fight.

“There are valid arguments on both sides, and I think what’s important is that both sides recognize there are privacy issues, there are issues with network security and cybersecurity and the ability of third parties to obtain access to systems,” said Donahue.

“The key is to have a framework in place that addresses those issues to balance those with law enforcement’s concerns,” he added.

This week FBI Director Robert Mueller criticized the press regarding its informal proposition saying that the media had presented a “distortion of what our needs are.”

“What we are seeking is the ability to enforce that order, and be able to obtain those communications,” Mueller said. “And what we’re looking at is some form of legislation that will assure that when we get the appropriate court order, those individual companies that are served with that order do have the capability and the capacity to respond to that order.”

 Since it is an election year, Donahue told us that it was unlikely that we would see any type of proposal from the FBI this year.
May 18, 2012